This was my first read from author, Brenda Jackson.

Emphasis on family pride, legacy, and relationships that paved different futures. The story was woven with some past flashbacks that were needed. Everyone needs a Mama Laverne in their life. This didn't end up like I thought it would, but I certainly was not disappointed.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!! I suggest this a story to read!

Ninetysomething Mama Laverne is determined to find all of her great-grandchildren their perfect match before going home to glory. So far, her success rate is 100 percent—and she intends to keep it that way.

After sustaining injuries in Iraq, Chancellor Madaris was told he’d never walk again. Chance credits his great-grandmother Mama Laverne with giving him the will to heal and prove the doctors wrong. He has a healthy respect for her meddling ways and knows he’ll eventually end up next on her matchmaking list.

When Zoey Pritchard was eight, she survived a car accident that took the lives of her mother and father, and was sent to live with her great-aunt who refused to speak about her parents. Zoey has no memory from before the crash, but she’s been having the same dream over and over…

Searching for answers, Zoey travels to Houston, where she uncovers a scandal involving her parents and the wealthy and powerful Madaris family. Her trail leads her straight to Chance’s door. The dislike and intense attraction are instant and simultaneous. But to help Zoey restore her memory, he grudgingly introduces her to his great-grandmother…

In her 150th novel, Jackson excels at what she does best: focusing on family, intrigue, and love in a concise narrative. About a third of the way through, I knew I must obtain the audio version for my mother to enjoy. Whether you are a long-time reader of Jackson's works or this is your first, Jackson provides an accessible entry point the Madaris history (or satisfies any curiosities you may have had). While I am tempted to "spill the tea" about more details about this book, suffice it to say that the summary is thoroughly fulfilled—and thensome. I recommend this for book clubs, collectors of Jackson's work, or new readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this title.

Was it chance, or Mama Laverne’s plan, that threw this pair together?

A sweet romance about a woman looking for her past and a man looking for a future. And over it all, a matriarch who holds all the secrets about a multigenerational feud. Zoe, now an orthopedic surgeon, lost her parents in an accident when she was a child, as well as her memories of them. Chance was seriously injured while serving in the military and now he's back on the ranch. Mama Laverne likes to meddle. That's really all you need to know, especially if you are a fan of Jackson, who is a favorite of fans of the genre. It might be a bit predictable but it's also enjoyable. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This marks book 150 for Brenda Jackson and she didn’t disappoint. Spilling the tea takes you through the journey of love, scandal, and heartbreak. We are given a story we didn’t know we needed of Mama Laverne and Milton Sr. We were shown that love does conquer all with Victoria and Waylon. And Chancellor and Zoey’s journey of love is chef’s kiss. This story bought out all the feelings and left no crumbs. This story is true testament of Jackson as a writer for she is still able to tell a story without readers feeling like not this again. It was great to see cameos of some our favorite Madaris friends and family. I can’t wait to see who is the next Madaris to fall in love.

Spilling the Tea shares multiple epic love stories from different generations of two families. Only problem is, these families have been feuding for several decades. After many years of secrets and lies, Mama Laverne is spilling the tea of what started the long lived feud/scandals of the Satterfields and Madaris. Mama Laverne is known for not only her matchmaking skills but also the keeper of all the family secrets.

This was a fun and enjoyable read. I enjoyed the main story line and the relatable MCs. Zoey, an orthopedic surgeon looking for answers of her past, and Chance, a Texas ranch owner and great grandson to Mama Laverne. But I really enjoyed Mama Laverne’s character. The family patriarch, matchmaker, secret keeper and the one who keeps the family legacy going. She was hilarious, strong, loving, and created a family bond like no other. She really kept the story interesting and kept me invested.

This story is heavily on characters due to it being centered around two large multigenerational families. At times I had a hard time keeping them all straight and felt like many were just a name drop but didn’t have much to do with the main plot except to show how big these families were and how long this feud had lasted. However, there is an image of the Madaris family tree on the author’s IG page, which definitely helped.

The narrator did an impressive job with all the different character voices needing to be portrayed. He had a great voice for story telling and kept the story entertaining. However, in my opinion, I think this would have been even better with a full cast of narrators, and told through multiple POVs, specifically for audiobook narration purposes.

This was my first book by Brenda Jackson, but it's her 150th book, what an incredible accomplishment!

Zoey lost part of her memory during a horrific car accident that claimed the lives of her parents when she was 8 years old. She was taken in by her aunt that refused to speak of her parents or answer any questions she may have. Confused and frustrated, Zoey decides to investigate her past in the hopes that she may regain some of her memory. She travels to the ranch property listed on the paperwork she found in her aunt’s effects and enlists the help of the ranch owner, Chance. Chance is former military and has experienced a similar trauma. His family has been in the area for generations and he asks his great grandmother to help Zoey. Along with Chance’s family, Zoey is in touch with her mother’s best friend and finds a wealth of information - way more than she bargained for. A captivating story for sure. I found the stories of Zoey’s past and her family’s past more intriguing and romantic than the current story of Zoey and Chance. I wish that more of the ending details would have been spread out a little more throughout the book, rather than doing an informative dump at the end. A really good read!

This was a great romantic novel with a twist. The characters were strong and upbeat even considering the trials and tribulations they had faced. It grabbed me from the first page and I really wanted to get through it to see how things turned out. The ending was fabulous and tied all of the loose ends from the plots in the books together. I love multi generational books and this story had good plots and good subplots. A great read!!!

Terrific book. I have read a few of the Madaris family books, but I need to read the others. Mama Laverne, matriarch of the family, vowed to find perfect matches for all her great-grandchildren. She has a 100 percent success rate so far, but some of the guys are determined to foil her efforts. The prologue of this book opens with Chance and his cousin, Corbin, discussing the problem. Corbin's precautions are over-the-top, while Chance accepts that he will eventually end up on her list.

Thanks to a broken engagement, Chance is in no hurry as he has trust issues. He served in the military, and when he came home in a wheelchair, unable to walk, his fiancée walked away. He credits Mama Laverne with motivating him to prove the doctors wrong. He's back to normal, physically, but limits himself to one-night stands.

We also meet Zoey. Injured in a car accident that killed her parents when she was eight, she has no memory of her life before the accident. Zoey was raised by her aunt, who refused to discuss her parents. She is now an orthopedic surgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins. When her aunt dies, Zoey finds some information about her parents that sends her to a ranch near Houston, looking for answers.

The first meeting between Chance and Zoey doesn't go well. Chance jumps to conclusions about Zoey, which angered her. I enjoyed watching her tear into him and call him out on it. Once he learns what she is looking for, Chance introduces her to Mama Laverne.

The book is a terrific mix of present and past, as Laverne remembers the events that happened between the two families. The past is rife with tragedy, lies, and heartbreak, and I ached for these ancestors of the present-day characters. Laverne kept these secrets for many years, but it may be time to lay the past to rest.

I loved watching Zoey learn about her past. For the past several months, she's had flashes of what might be memories of her parents. Those flashes occur more frequently now; she believes they are actual memories, not wishful thinking. Zoey receives family photo albums and diaries that her mother's best friend saved. These items play a critical role in Zoey's discoveries.

I enjoyed seeing Chance and Zoey's relationship develop. Underneath their initial antagonism were intense sparks of attraction. But Chance doesn't do relationships, and Zoey doesn't do meaningless flings, so they try to bury their feelings. However, they spend a lot of time together, and as friendship grows, so do their feelings. It was amusing to see Chance work so hard at denying what he felt when everyone around him could see he was falling for her. Zoey recognizes her feelings sooner. Things start to look up for them until Chance's ex-fiancée shows up, determined to take him back.

As more of the past comes to light, Laverne must decide how many secrets she will divulge. Matters become complicated when a surprise connection turns dangerous to Laverne and Zoey. That confrontation was intense and unexpected, and I was on the edge of my seat until it was over. The ending was sweet and emotional. I loved seeing Zoey and Chance overcome the obstacles of their pasts. The epilogue was fantastic. I loved the conversation between Zoey and Laverne.

The author writes about wonderful family relationships. The relationship dynamics of the past were fascinating, with love, jealousy, honor, and stubborn pride playing a role. The current family illustrates its close ties with how they support each other, look out for each other, and occasionally call each other out when needed. Throughout it all, it is clear that Mama Laverne is the glue that holds them together.

Quite the family history. Lots of characters in this multi-generational story. The main couple are interesting and kept me engaged in their story. I did skip over the many intimate scenes. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Title: Spilling the Tea
Author: Brenda Jackson
Publisher: Harlequin & Canary Street Press
Publish Date: April 1, 2025
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 3.8/5
Spice: 🌶 🌶 🌶 2.5/5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 350
Format: 📖 🎧
Narrator: Ron Butler

First, I would like to thank Netgally and Harlequin for providing me with this Arc as it was such a joy to read. I also would love to give Brenda Jackson a standing ovation as this marked her 150th published novel. Even though this was my first read book from her collection. I learned so much about her in such a short time.

I never knew she was the first African-American Romance Author to make the USA Today and New York Times Best Sellers List. This is huge and such an accomplishment as she paved the way for some of my favorite African-American Romance Authors.

I appreciated how the story started off with a breakdown (recap) or the other books in the series and how mamma Laverne came to be known as the Madaris Matriarch. She is quite the match maker and has had a 100% success rate. There was even a family tree to show how everyone was connecting. I have never seen this in a romance novel before. You usually see this more so in Fantasy so I thought her attention to detail was so iconic.

The story begins with us learning about Zoey Pritchard. When she was eight she experienced a traumatic event being in a car accident that ended the lives of her parents leaving her as the lone survivor. This also left Zoey with memory loss as she was unable to remember anything prior to the accident. She then was sent to live with her great aunt whom refused to speak about her parents or the accident leaving Zoey with so many questions as she consistently has been having the same dream over and over ever since. This was when I knew there would be ground breaking secrets that could change the course of everything.

Chance is introduced as heartless as he has sworn off relationships as his previous relationship ended with his fiancé running off and marrying someone else. He is content with being single and enjoying life until his ex-fiance' comes back into town with the mission of getting him back.

Zoey is new in town as Mama Laverne has been helping her get a fresh start. All is fair in love and war as Zoey catches the eye of Chance. Grief, Healing, Uncovered Secrets, Love, and Family drive this rollercoaster of emotions home. I hope you read this novel and enjoy it as much as I did.

The concept and book blurb drew me in from the start. I really enjoyed the authors writing style. I loved that there was a family chart within the start. This was my first time seeing this. In the beginning getting to know Chance’s history, more about Mama Laverne’s gifts - it was really enjoyable. However, I got lost in the middle between the characters, the back and forth, it was moving so so slooow and I couldn’t get back the story. There was a lot going on. I couldn’t finish it.

Mama Laverne, matriarch of the Madaris family, has a one hundred percent rate of finding matches for her many great grandchildren. Some of those great grandchildren have proved more challenging than others, like Chance who was injured in Iraq, and plans to stay off of Laverne’s matchmaking list. He’s vowed to be done with love, until a stranger shows up looking for answers about a tragedy during her childhood. Zoey is an orthopedic surgeon, who has no memories of her first eight years, but she finds a link to the ranch that Chance owns and wants to find answers that could help her regain her memory. Chance and Zoey have an immediate connection, but there are secrets that only Mama Laverne knows, that could definitely get in the way of the feelings between the two of them.

Spilling the Tea is my first read by Brenda Jackson. I really enjoyed the multi-generational storyline and family drama. Jackson does a great job writing characters you love and characters you hate. There is a lot of heartbreak caused by a feud that started between the Madaris and Satterfield families that goes back five generations.

Zoey is a likable character, and I enjoyed the storyline of her coming to the Madaris ranch to find the answers she’s been looking for her whole life. She and Chance have an insta-attraction, but deal with some issues along the way due to Chance’s past with a failed engagement.

I enjoyed the dual timeline, with the focus on Zoey in the present, while the past timeline reveals what happened between the two families and how Mama Laverne came to be the Madaris matriarch. Both timelines tell a story of tragedy, lies, heartache, and manipulative people.

I did feel like there were too many characters named that didn’t serve any purpose, and it took away from the focus of the story, for me. I understand that the Madaris family is a large one, but I just felt like so many characters being mentioned was confusing and that the story would have worked better without so many family members being named.

If you love family stories that include past secrets, family loyalties, and insta-love romance, then I would definitely recommend Spilling the Tea.

Brenda does it again! This book was a breath of fresh air. From the first page to the last I laughed, swooned, and wished I was apart of this story. If you’ve read any of her other works then you know exactly how amazing her stories are. Pick this one up. You won’t regret it.

This book was just ok in my opinion. A light and cute romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I was invested in reading this as I love Brenda Jackson and her writing. She can definitely tell a great love story. But this one fell flat for me.
There are entirely too many Madaris characters to keep up with and I got lost.
When we focused on Chance and Zoey I was good. But I think this story mentions the Madaris crew way too much for my liking.

A heartwarming story filled with romance, mystery and family.

This story centers around Chance, Zoey and Mama Laverne. Chance and Zoey do not get off on the right foot so their romance is very much dislike to lovers. Both have been through hardships and it was nice to see them working on themselves. The romance is very sweet and lovely. Mama Laverne was a hoot. Her matchmaking schemes were delightfully fun.

If you're in the mood for a feel-good romance with a dash of mystery, I would recommend this one.

Hail to the Queen of Romancelandia, Brenda Jackson! SPILLING THE TEA is the 150th book of her stellar career. Her first book was TONIGHT AND FOREVER that introduced us to the Madaris family. SPILLING THE TEA reunites us with the family and highlights the Grand Matriarch, ninety-something- year-old Mama Felicia Laverne. Believe me, fans, there is plenty of tea to be spilled. The Madaris family member taking center stage is Chancellor “Chance” Madaris, owner of Teakwood Ridge a two-hundred acre ranch. Chance has had some serious challenges in his life that affected how he lived his life. You will discover those challenges when you read the story. One, in particular, involves a woman by the name of Ravena Boyle. Put a pin right there.
SPILLING THE TEA also follows the unlikely romance between Chance Madaris and Dr. Zoey Pritchard. Zoey is in Houston to learn about her family, a family that she has no memory of. Zoey’s family is the same family who was involved in a bitter feud with the Madaris family in the early 1950’s. You’ll get it when you read this engrossing story that is complicated, jaw-dropping and full of ah-hah moments.
One of the best features of this story is being with the Madaris family and their friends. Jake and his nephews will come to the rescue of their beloved Mama Felicia Laverne, and Alex Maxwell’s investigative skills will place the final pin in the Madaris-Satterfield scandal. The Epilogue houses a wonderful HEA for Chance and Zoey. That’s not all…. Mama Felicia Laverne, the forever matchmaker, makes a prediction about Alex and Christy’s daughter and one of the triplet sons of Ashton and Netherland Sinclair. Stay tuned!
I loved this story! It is a real page turner as more and more of the intense feud between the Satterfield family and the Madaris family is revealed. SPILLING THE TEA is a must read!

Oh man, what is there to say? Mama Laverene is clearly still running the show in this family and they do not dare to not bend to her wishes. Zoey is looking to find the answers to her forgotten past, Chance has never quite emotionally recovered from being injured in the military. Can these 2 break down their walls and find love?
This book was everything! I am hoping there will be more with this cast of characters.

Spilling the Tea is a heartwarming and engaging romance that perfectly blends family drama, mystery, and undeniable chemistry. With a meddling yet lovable matchmaker, a hero who has overcome adversity, and a heroine on a journey of self-discovery, this novel delivers everything fans of emotional, character-driven love stories crave.

Chancellor "Chance" Madaris has defied the odds after being told he’d never walk again, thanks in part to his indomitable great-grandmother, Mama Laverne—who also happens to have a perfect track record in matchmaking. Meanwhile, Zoey Pritchard arrives in Houston searching for answers about her past, uncovering a long-buried family scandal that leads her straight to Chance. Their instant attraction is tangled with tension and reluctance, but as Zoey pieces together the truth about her parents, she and Chance find themselves drawn together in ways neither expected.

The novel’s mix of romance and mystery keeps the pages turning, and Mama Laverne’s well-intentioned interference adds charm and humor to the story. The chemistry between Chance and Zoey crackles, making their slow-burn romance all the more satisfying. With compelling family dynamics, a touch of fate, and just the right amount of drama, Chance of a Lifetime is a delightful read for romance lovers who enjoy love stories with depth and heart.

Spilling the Tea is a spectacular addition to the Madaris family series. Chancellor (Chance) Madaris and Zoey Pritchard are kindred spirits who don't realize when they first meet how much they have in common. As the story unfolds we get to know Chance and Zoey and also learn more about the Madaris family history. The story takes us through what is happening in the present and also revisits the past as we learn how past actions are still impacting present events. I didn't want to stop reading as it seemed with every new chapter more secrets were uncovered and tea spilled. Mama Laverne continues to surprise and amaze I highly recommend this book for all lovers of romance, mysteries and how history impacts the present. .